GTA 6 leak and job posting teases modern-day setting

GTA V
(Image credit: Rockstar)

GTA 6 has yet to be officially confirmed, but it’s almost a foregone conclusion that Rockstar is working on a follow-up to one of the best-selling games in history. Now, this latest leak might have given us a clue as to what time period the game will be set in. 

A job posting at Rockstar India for a Mixed Media Animator has got some eagle-eyed gamers speculating that GTA 6 will in fact have a modern-day setting, rather than being set in the 1980s as several popular fan theories have suggested. 

The job posting lays out the responsibilities of the position as creating “content for in-game media for our game world to make immersive experiences” as well as working "on multiple platforms to create multiple style of content for In-game Media."

While this is all pretty vague, fans on social media have speculated that the term “in-game media” refers to the various in-game websites, TV shows, and viral videos that can found in GTA 5’s open world. 

Of course, a game set in the 1980s wouldn’t have a need for any in-game websites so this job listing could be a hint that GTA 6 will, in fact, be set in the modern-day (or at least the 21st century). 

Granted this job listing is far from a confirmation. Firstly, in-game media could refer to in-game television shows, or even newspapers or magazines, which of course would exist in an 80s setting. Secondly, there’s no confirmation that the successful candidate for this job posting would actually be working on GTA 6, it could be a position for another Rockstar project.

The plot thickened however when Tom Henderson, most known for leaking various Battlefield 6 information, took to social media to claim that GTA 6 will have a modern-day setting rather than being set in the 1980s. Henderson also claimed on Twitter that the next GTA will have an online component, which is of course very much expected.

Rumors about GTA 6 have been flying around the internet for years now, the most popular theory is that the game will be set in Vice City — GTA’s take on Miami. Which was last featured in the PSP spinoff game GTA: Vice City Stories back in 2006. 

Some gamers have concluded that the game will actually span multiple locations, with several cities to explore, after it was leaked that Rockstar has been mapping locations throughout the United States. This seems unlikely to us though. 

While this latest job posting has certainly got us wondering what it could mean for GTA 6, it’s worth remembering that this is all just speculation. It’s still likely to be a few years before we have any solid details on the next Grand Theft Auto game. 

Rockstar’s next project is a PS5 and Xbox Series X port of GTA 5, as well as bringing GTA Online to the next generation of consoles as a standalone game. It seems logical that we won’t hear anything official about GTA 6 certainly until after these projects are wrapped up. 

Rory Mellon
Entertainment Editor (UK)

Rory is an Entertainment Editor at Tom’s Guide based in the UK. He covers a wide range of topics but with a particular focus on gaming and streaming. When he’s not reviewing the latest games, searching for hidden gems on Netflix, or writing hot takes on new gaming hardware, TV shows and movies, he can be found attending music festivals and getting far too emotionally invested in his favorite football team.